Throughout Top Chef's history, there have been several instances of chefs buying pre-made food. One of the most notable examples of that is when Sara Bradley bought waffle mix when the dish she was making was chicken and waffles. Scenarios like that are baffling for two reasons. First off, it is hard to understand why Top Chef’s chefs would ever think it was a good idea to buy pre-made food like that. Secondly, it makes no sense that Top Chef’s chefs sometimes buy pre-made food like bread or sausages and nobody bats an eye.  

Since Kristen Kish took over the role of hosting Top Chef, she has been fully embraced by most fans of the show. With that in mind, it would make sense to have another former competitor take on a permanent role on the show. As one of the most popular and knowledgeable chefs in the show’s history, Carla Hall would instantly be a credible and beloved addition to the Top Chef judges’ table.

Since Top Chef’s main judges return season after season, they are the show’s main stars. As a result, it would be a mistake for the show’s producers to fire them and bring in new people. However, if the show’s producers changed the rules about how the show is judged, it would make it a lot more compelling. Since chefs can be eliminated for making a single mistake, many competitors who are at the middle of the pack make it far into the season. If the chefs knew that eliminations were based on their season-long performance, however, that would encourage them to take more risks to show off all their skills which would be more entertaining for viewers.

Even though Top Chef has existed for almost two decades, the show’s most shocking moment still stems from its second season. After a night of partying, Cliff Crooks woke up Marcel Vigneron and assaulted him as he tried to shave his head. During this totally unacceptable moment, several other chefs stood by and did nothing to stop Cliff. To be fair, Cliff went on to express how much he regretted his actions in the light of day. However, the fact that Marcel was allowed to be treated that way during the production of Top Chef still is shocking all these years later.

During one Top Chef season, Richard Blais was a regular part of the judges’ table. Since then, Richard hasn’t been around the Top Chef world very much. While that likely is because of Richard starring in another reality competition show, Top Chef needs to do what it can to bring him back. After all, it would be fascinating to see a Top Chef judges’ table with two past winners since Kristen Kish is the show’s ongoing host/judge now.

During a past season of Top Chef, there was a challenge that had the show’s judges do the Whole Foods shopping for the chefs who were still in the running. Seeing the judges who typically seem so authoritative be thrown into the chaos was delightful. While it would be a mistake to make this moment happen during each season, since the fun is seeing the judges thrown out of their comfort zone, it would be fantastic to have the judges shop again.

After competing on the fifth and eighth seasons of Top Chef, Carla Hall has gone on to enjoy incredible success including co-hosting The Chew. In fact, Hall is such a respected chef that she has returned to Top Chef as a guest judge several times. Most importantly, based on all of Hall’s media appearances, she appears to cook food that has loads of flavor. If that wasn’t enough, Hall’s food is sophisticated enough to impress the fanciest food critics but it still seems approachable in ways that regular people wouldn’t feel intimidated.

During Top Chef: Colorado, the show’s many devoted fans were introduced to Fatima Ali. A young and talented chef who seemed to have an incredible amount of passion for her craft, Ali was poised to enjoy incredible success. On top of that, Ali seemed to be such a kind-hearted person and her smile could light up any room she was in. As a result of all that, it was heartbreaking for fans to learn that Ali was battling cancer while Top Chef: Colorado aired. Things only became even sadder when Ali announced that her cancer was terminal before she passed away in 2019 at only 29 years old. Top Chef fans are lucky they got to see a glimpse of what Ali was capable of but it was heartbreaking to see her life end so prematurely.

When Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani was competing on Top Chef, it was abundantly clear that he took his food and the competition very seriously. However, there is no denying that when Viviani smiled, he came across as such a friendly and kind person that he quickly became extremely lovable. On top of that, Viviani had such a mischievous and fun personality that most fans couldn’t help but root for him.

During Top Chef: San Francisco, there was a challenge that required the competitors to create dishes for a fetish shop. Two examples of the resulting dishes were named Naughty Nuts and Edible Underwear Drawer. While this challenge and the fact that RuPaul was a guest judge was a lot of fun, there is no denying this felt really out of character for Top Chef. After all, Top Chef is the kind of show that typically runs challenges at events like wine and cheese festivals.

Ever since Richard Blais began competing on Top Chef and throughout his tenure as a judge, some of the show’s fans have hated him. There are two main reasons for that. First off, some fans were bothered by the gimmicks that Blais used while preparing his food. Secondly, many fans don’t believe that Blais genuinely cares about people as much as he acts like he does.

After Katie Lee hosted the first season of Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi took over those duties and did a spectacular job for nearly twenty seasons. After Lakshmi decided it was time to move on, the former Top Chef winner Kristen Kish was tapped to become the show’s host. With no disrespect to Katie Lee, there was no doubt that Padma Lakshmi surpassed her and became the show’s top host. Despite that, based on how Kish handled hosting her first season, I believe she will become even better. After all, Kish’s history as a former competitor allows her to add a touch that Lakshmi never could and she carries herself as well as Lakshmi did. That said, all three women handled their role on the show well and deserve respect from fans.

Ever since Top Chef introduced Last Chance Kitchen, it has added a lot to the show since it feels like two shows are going on simultaneously. Still, it always felt like more could be done with Last Chance Kitchen and Top Chef: Wisconsin proved that. The fact that a chef who hadn’t competed in the main show was given the chance to win Last Chance Kitchen was brilliant. Of course, it helps that Soo Ahn came across as one of the season’s most talented chefs so he won Last Chance Kitchen.

In several ways, 2024’s Top Chef: Wisconsin was a success. However, the season’s finale was a major problem for fans who spent an entire season waiting to find out who would win. While the finale revealed that Danny Garcia won, the episode did a really poor job of explaining why. The episode included several scenes that didn’t affect who won, but fans weren’t shown footage of the judges explaining why Garcia prevailed.

During Top Chef: Portland, Shota Nakajima proved to be one of the most talented contestants of his season by far. On top of that, Nakajima was one of the most lovable people to ever compete in Top Chef thanks to his laid-back attitude and how supportive he was of others. During the finale, Nakajima sadly made too many mistakes to win so he wasn’t robbed. However, seeing him miss out on the win was difficult to watch since he was so easy to root for.

While this is no disrespect to Top Chef 11’s winner, it still is shocking that Nina Compton didn’t take home the title and the money. In fact, seeing Compton lose despite how incredibly talented she very obviously was makes it hard to rewatch season 11. If only Compton’s dessert was a little bit more successful and she didn’t spend some of her time making “extra” dishes during the finale.

During the early years of Top Chef, each season would be followed up by reunions that could be extremely entertaining. However, the reunions have been gone since the ninth season and they need to be brought back. Perhaps Bravo and Top Chef’s producers wanted the show to seem classier so they got rid of the reunions which could include some bickering. That just leaves the bickering to happen on social media and during interviews where the chefs are a lot less likely to make peace. Plus the reunions were a lot of fun to watch.

Throughout Top Chef history, there have been some challenges that fans truly grew to love. Two perfect examples of that are the blindfolded taste test challenge and restaurant wars. Unfortunately, Top Chef’s producers have decided to eliminate one of those classic challenges that many viewers love, the mise en place relay. An incredibly intense challenge, the mise en place relay showed how skilled the chefs are and how they cope with pressure. Top Chef’s producers need to bring the mise en place back and have it return every season.

When Top Chef fans tune in, they typically watch for two main reasons. First off, most Top Chef fans are intrigued by the amazing food that gets prepared on the show. Secondly, Top Chef fans love to see which competitors will rise and fall with the ultimate question being who will win. The second half of that equation is the main reason why Budddha Lo made Top Chef boring to watch. After Lo had appeared in a few episodes of Top Chef, it seemed like a no-brainer that he would win. Of course, Lo could have committed a colossal mistake that took him out of the running, but that never happened. As a result, when Lo made it to the end and won, there was very little entertainment value in that.

When Top Chef’s immunity challenges don’t come with the possibility of winning immunity, they quickly become boring. The problem is that for viewers, it feels like very little or nothing is on the line. During season 21, the chefs’ performances during quickfire challenges sometimes were taken into account during elimination but it rarely felt like that really mattered. When the chefs get an advantage for winning the quickfire challenge, it rarely feels like they make a difference. Worst of all, when the chefs only win money, that is great for them but provides very little entertainment for fans. Top Chef’s producers should either skip Quickfire Challenges that don’t come with immunity or rework them to matter more.